Geometry/Transcript
Transcript Title text reads, The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. A boy, Tim, and his robot friend, Moby, stand on the deck of a wooden sailing ship. Tim wears a captain’s hat, and Moby holds a sextant. TIM: So, any idea where we are? Moby looks at the sextant and beeps. TIM: 67 degrees? What does that mean? Moby beeps. TIM: I knew we should have turned left at that last atoll. A letter appears. Text reads as Tim narrates: Dear Tim and Moby, What is geometry? From, Victoria McGinnis TIM: Good question! In geometry, we study things like perimeters, areas, and volumes, and also the relationships between different angles. A label appears, reading, geometry. Four shapes appear: a circle, a square, a cylinder, and a triangle. TIM: There are actually many types of geometry. But the kind you’re likely to run into in junior high and high school is Euclidean geometry, a branch of math dealing with shapes and space. A label appears, reading, Euclidean Geometry. TIM: Euclidean geometry’s named after Euclid, a Greek mathematician who lived more than 2,000 years ago. On-screen, Euclid appears. A label reads, Euclid. TIM: The word geometry is derived from the Greek words for Earth and measure. On-screen, a globe appears. A label reads, geos. Next to the globe, a ruler appears. A label reads, metron. Moby beeps. TIM: Well, it could be because one of the main uses for geometry back then was measuring property. But it was also used by astronomers, architects, and ship navigators. On-screen, four ancient Greeks using various tools appear: a land surveyor, an astronomer, an architect, and a ship navigator. TIM: Mathematicians from way before Euclid had already discovered many of the rules he laid out in his famous text, Elements. On-screen, a book appears. A label reads, Elements. TIM: But he was the first to organize those rules into a single, provable system of thought. On-screen, the book opens. The pages are filled with text and geometric diagrams. Moby beeps. TIM: I know, when you first see geometry, it looks kinda scary. But all those complicated shapes and funky diagrams are based on a few basic concepts. It all starts with the point, the fundamental geometric figure. On-screen, a point appears. A label reads, point. TIM: A point is just a location in space. It doesn’t have any size. In other words, it has zero dimensions. A label appears, reading, dimensions. Moby beeps. TIM: A dimension is just a way to measure a geometric figure, like length, width, and depth. On-screen, a three-dimensional block appears. Three arrows appear: one along the block's length, one along its width, and one along its depth. TIM: One step up from a point is a line, which is a whole lot of points arranged in a straight, uh, line. On-screen, a line appears, made up of many points. A label reads, line. TIM: Lines go on forever in both directions. On-screen, two arrows move outward along the length of the line. TIM: They’re one-dimensional; they have length, but no width or thickness. A label appears, reading, one-dimensional. TIM: Lines are contained within a plane, a flat surface that goes on forever. On-screen, a plane appears, made up of a grid of intersecting lines that stretch out in all directions. TIM: Planes are two-dimensional: they have length and width, but no thickness. A label appears, reading, two-dimensional. TIM: Most two-dimensional geometric shapes are made up of line segments. On-screen, three line segments on the same plane intersect to form a triangle. TIM: On multiple planes, line segments can form three-dimensional shapes, with length, width, and thickness. A label appears, reading, three-dimensional. A line from each corner of the triangle meets at a point above the plane, forming a pyramid. Moby beeps. TIM: Oh. Well, all of these geometric forms are completely imaginary. There’s no such thing as a perfectly straight line that goes on forever, or a point with zero dimensions. But those abstract forms can help us understand relationships between shapes in the real world. On-screen, a blueprint of an arch appears next to the actual arch. Moby beeps. TIM: Well, you won’t be getting into anything this complicated in your first geometry class. But you will get to know these little guys: the compass and the protractor. On-screen, Tim holds up a compass and a protractor. TIM: The compass lets you draw arcs and circles. A label appears, reading, compass. The compass draws a perfect circle. TIM: And protractors measure angles in units called degrees. A label appears, reading, protractor. The protractor measures the angle formed by two lines. The angle is labeled, 70 degrees. Moby beeps. He holds up the sextant. TIM: Oh, this is called a sextant, another great contribution of geometry. Sailors use it to find their position on the sea. A label appears, reading, sextant. A sailor uses a sextant to measure the angle between the horizon and the sun. The angle is labeled, 30 degrees. Tim looks at his own sextant. TIM: Right now, we’re at… 67 degrees. On-screen, Tim blinks, confused. TIM: Huh. Yeah, I don’t really know how to use this thing. Category:BrainPOP Math Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Transcripts